1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a joint box, which includes a joint portion for connecting electrical wires with each other by pressure-contact terminals and a wire bundle portion for passing the electric wires therethrough not to connect the electrical wires by pressure contact, and an electrical wire bundling structure by the joint box.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a joint box by prior art (see Reference Patent 1).
A joint box 51 includes a main box body 52 made of synthetic resin and a cover 54 covering a top opening 53 of the main box body 52. The cover 54 is formed through a thin hinge integrally with the main box body 52. Pressure-contact terminals 55 are provided in the main box body 52. The cover 54 is provided with projections 56 corresponding to the pressure-contact terminals 55 for pressing the electrical wires.
The cover 54 moves around the hinge between a position of opening the main box body 52 and a position of covering the main box body 52. The cover 54 has a lock hole 74 and the main box body 52 has a lock projection 75. The lock hole 74 and the lock projection 75 are engaged with each other when the cover 54 covers the main box body 52.
In the embodiment, an electrical wire 57 with a male terminal (FIG. 13) is connected by pressure contact with the pressure-contact terminal 55. The male terminal (not shown) projects from a front opening (not shown) of the main box body 52, and is locked in a connector housing to be press-fitted with the front opening so as to structure a connector.
As shown in FIG. 13, two pressure-contact terminals 55 in the main box body 52 are arranged in parallel, and connected with each other by a horizontal connecting plate 58 so as to form a bus bar 59 for joining electrical wires 57. Two electrical wires 57 are joined with each other through the bus bar 59. Joining points (pressure-contact points) of the pressure-contact terminals 55 and the electrical wires 57 are covered by the cover 54 (FIG. 12) for protection.
FIG. 14 shows the other embodiment of the joint box by prior art (see Reference Patent 2)
A joint box 61 includes a main box body 62 and a cover 63 made of synthetic resin, a bus bar 64 provided in the main box body 62, and an earth ground terminal 65 integrally continued to the bus bar 64 and projecting out of the main box body 62.
The bus bar 64 has a plurality of pressure-contact terminals 66. Each electrical wire 67 is press-fitted into each pressure-contact terminal 66 and led from the both sides of the main box body 62 to an outside thereof. Each end of the electrical wires 67 is provided with a connector to be connected with an apparatus. The earth ground terminal 65 is screwed on a vehicle body so that each electrical wire 67 is joined by the bus bar 64 for grounding it to the vehicle body.
Reference Patents are:    Reference Patent 1, Japan Patent Application No. H11-191446;    Reference Patent 2, Japan Patent Application No. 2001-155792; and    Reference Patent 3, Japan Patent Application No. H10-285742.
The joint box 51, 61 by prior art can protect pressure-contact points of the electrical wires 57, 67 by the cover 54, 63. However, when there are electrical wires wired along the joint box 51, 61 other than the electrical wires to be pressure-contacted, or lead-out electrical wires, which are pressure-contacted already, to be folded into U-shape, the other component, such as a harness protector and a band clamp, is required for supporting the electrical wires and protecting them. Therefore, there are problems of an extra cost of the other component and additional operation for bundling the electrical wires.
For placing electrical wires 57, 67 with a connector at an end thereof in the joint box 51, 61 without folding into U-shape, pressure-contact terminals for pressure-contacting other electrical wires extending in a direction of folding are required. Therefore, cost-up by additional pressure-contact terminals and connecting operation arises.
In the joint box 51 having the main box body 52 and the cover 54 formed through the thin hinge integrally with the main box body 52, when the hinge is broken off, lock of the lock hole 74 and the lock projection 75 is unlocked and the cover 54 is fallen out of the main box body 52. Therefore, the terminals and electrical wires received in the joint box 51 are exposed possibly to contact to other apparatuses or short to each other or cause unstable contact of the terminal and the wires.